0
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SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON
QUARTERLY
NO. 90
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CAL., OCTOBER,
1917
5
CENTS
Entered as second-class matter October 13, 1904, at the Post Office in
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OCTOBER TO
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1917
TOPICAL BIBLE STUDIES
World Problems
Four of the greatest problems now confronting
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special study to their significance:
Greed; The Industrial World
GEORGE W. RINE
War
L. A. REED
Bible or Tradition
C.
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Spiritualism
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The Remedy
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Help on the
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Vitamines and Calories ....
DRS. D. D. COMSTOCK AND
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Stimulants and Condiments
DR. NEWTON EVANS
Ten Reasons for a Fleshless Diet ...
DR. A. W. TRUMAN
Fruits and Their Uses. Good Cheer
DR. GEORGE A. THoiaAsoN
Food Elements and Simplicity of Diet ..
DR. E. IL RISLEY
Use of Left-Ovens
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Simple Menus and Recipes
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Topical Bible Studies
SENIOR DIVISION
FOURTH QUARTER
1917
Lesson 1—The Hope of the Church—When
Will It Be Realized?
OCTOBER
6, 1917
DAILY STUDY OUTLINE
Sabbath ...Read "The Great Controversy," pages
299-304.
Sunday ....The "Blessed Hope'
,
Ques. 1-3
Monday ...Assurance of the Lord's return
Ques. 4-6
Tuesday ...Manner of Christ's coming
Ques. 7-10
Wednesday.What admonition ought we to heed?
Ques. 11-13
Thursday ..Promise to those who are ready
Ques. 14-16
Friday ....Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What assurance have we that our Lord will come
again? John 14: 1-3; Ps. 50: 3; Heb. 9: 28.
2.
What hope brightens the Christian's pathway in
the darkness of this world? Acts 24: 15; Titus 2: 13.
3.
Of what value is it to the Christian to keep bright
the hope of the coming of Christ? Heb. 9:28. Note 1.
4.
What testimony is left us by saints of old who
looked forward to this glorious event? Jude 14; Job
19 : 25-27 ; Ps. 17:15. Note 2.
5.
When will this "blessed
-
hope" be realized? 1
Thess. 4: 13-18.
6.
Enumerate some of the purposes to be accom-
plished by Christ's return to this earth? Note 3.
7.
What instruction concerning the manner of Christ's
coming did the angels give to the disciples at the time
of His ascension? Acts 1: 9-11.
4
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
8.
What Scripture statements show that this coming
is not secret or silent? Rev. 1: 7; Ps. 50: 3, 4.
9.
What description is given of this glorious appear-
ing? Matt. 16: 27; 25: 31.
10.
When are the elect caught up to meet the Lord?
Matt. 24: 30, 31. Note 4.
11.
What warning is given against false teaching
about Christ's coming? Why should we give no heed
to such doctrine? Verses 23-27. Note 5.
12.
What position is it the privilege of the people of
God to occupy in-connection with the coming of Christ?
1 Thess. 5: 4, 5.
13.
In view of the fact that we do not know the exact
time of our Lord's coming, what admonition ought we
to heed? Mark 13: 23-37. Note the words "watch,"
"pray," "work," "sleeping."
14.
What promise is given to those who are ready and
looking for Him? Heb. 9: 28.
15.
What will God's people say when they see their
Saviour coming in glory? Isa. 25: 9.
16.
What will those be saying and doing who are not
ready at that time? Rev. 6: 15-17.
Notes
1.
In some cases, in this and succeeding lessons, the same
texts are cited again and again, as one text may contain
answers to several questions. The student should seize upon
that part of the text which answers the question most directly.
2.
"One of the most solemn and yet most glorious truths
revealed in the Bible is that of Christ's second coming, to
complete the great work of redemption. To God's pilgrim
people, so long left to sojourn in 'the region and shadow of
death,' a precious, joy-inspiring hope is given in the promise
of His appearing, who is 'the resurrection and the life,' to
`bring home again His banished.' The doctrine of the second
advent is the very keynote of the Sacred Scriptures. From
the day when the first pair turned their sorrowing steps from
Eden, the children of faith have waited the coming of the
Promised One to break the destroyer's power and bring them
again to the lost Paradise. Holy men of old looked forward
to the advent of the Messiah in glory, as
the consummation
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
5
of their hope. Enoch, only the seventh in descent from them
that dwelt in Eden, he who for three centuries on earth walked
with his God, was permitted to behold from afar the coming
of the Deliverer. `Behold,' he declared, 'the Lord cometh with
ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all.'
The patriarch Job in the night of his affliction exclaimed with
unshaken trust: 'I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that
He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: . . . in my
flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine
eyes shall behold, and not another.' "—"The Great Contro-
versy," page 299.
3. Among the glorious purposes of the Lord which will be
consummated at the coming of Christ are the following:
a.
The raising of the sleeping saints from the dead. 1
Thess. 4: 16.
b.
The bestowal of the gift of immortality upon all God's
children. 1 Cor. 15 : 51, 52.
c.
The taking of the saints to heaven. John 14: 1-3; 1
Thess. 4: 16, 17.
d.
The binding of Satan. Rev. 20: 1-4.
4. The teaching is widespread that some time before the
personal, visible coming of our Lord, a special class will be
caught away from among men; and that this coming will be
silent, and invisible to mortal eyes. The words of Christ in
Matt. 24: 30, 31 show this to be an error. It is at the visible,
glorious appearing of Christ that the elect are gathered. It is
at the time of the resurrection of the sleeping saints that the
living saints are "caught up together with them . . . to meet
the Lord," who at that time comes "with a shout, with the
voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God." 1 Thess.
4: 16, 17.
5. "As one of the signs of Jerusalem's destruction, Christ
had said, 'Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive
many.' False prophets did rise, deceiving the people, and
leading great numbers into the desert. Magicians and sor-
cerers, claiming miraculous power, drew the people after them
into the mountain solitudes. But this prophecy was spoken
also for the last days. This sign is given as a sign of the
second advent."—"The Desire of Ages," page 631.
6
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
Lesson
2
—
Signs
of Christ's Coming
OCTOBER 13, 1917
DAILY STUDY OUTLINE
Sabbath ...Read "The Great Controversy," pages
304-316.
Sunday ....How we may know that the Lord's
coming is near
Ques. 1-3
Monday ...Great earthquake and darkening of the
sun
(Lima. 4-6
Tuesday ...Other signs
Ques. 7-11
Wednesday.Moral and social condition of the world
Ques. 12
Thursday ..Warning given to God's people
Ques. 13, 14
Friday ....Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What has the Lord promised to give so that the
people may know when His coming is near? Luke
21: 25-27.
2.
Where will the signs be seen, and what will be
their nature? Matt. 24: 29.
3.
What definite information concerning our Lord's
return has been withheld? Verse 36. Note 1.
4.
What signs were to be seen in the heavens? At
what time were these signs to appear? Verse 29. Note 2.
5.
What sign was to precede the darkening of the
sun? Rev. 6: 12.
6.
What great earthquake occurred at the right time
to fulfill this prophecy? Note 3.
7.
What other remarkable sign in the heavens was
to be a witness to the nearness of Christ's coming?
Verse 13.
8.
By what event was this prediction fulfilled?
Note 4.
9.
What does Jesus say we should do when we see
these signs fulfilling? Luke 21: 28.
10.
What lesson of assurance may we draw from na-
ture? Verses 29-31.
11.
What does Jesus ,say concerning the generation
that should see these signs? Matt. 24: 34, 35. Note 5.
12.
What description is given of the moral and social
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
condition of the world just before His corning? Verses
37-39.
13.
What warning does our Lord give His people at
such a time as this? Luke 21: 34, 35.
14.
What duty is enjoined? Verse 36. See also Luke
12:35, 36.
Notes
1.
"The day and the hour of His coming Christ has not re-
vealed. He stated plainly to His disciples that He Himself
could not make known the day or the hour of His second ap-
pearing. Had He been at liberty to reveal this, why need He
have exhorted them to maintain an attitude of constant ex-
pectancy? There are those who claim to know the very day
and hour of our Lord's appearing. Very earnest are they
in mapping out the future. But the Lord has warned them
off the ground they occupy. The exact time of the second
coming of the Son of man is God's mystery."—"The Desire
of Ages," page 632.
2.
"What rendered this more striking was the fact that
the time of its fulfillment had been definitely pointed out. In
the Saviour's conversation with His disciples upon Olivet,
after describing the long period of trial for the church,—the
1,260 years of papal persecution, concerning which He had
promised that the tribulation should be shortened,—He thus
mentioned certain events to precede His coming, and fixed
the time when the first of these should be witnessed: 'In those
days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and
the moon shall not give her light.' "-=-"The Great Contro-
versy," page 306.
"The dark day of May 19, 1780, so called on account of
a remarkable darkness on that day, extending over all New
England. The true cause of this remarkable phenomenon is
not known."—"Webster's Dictionary," edition of 1869.
"On the nineteenth of May, 1780, an uncommon darkness
took-place all over New England, and extended to Canada. It
continued about fourteen hours, or from ten o'clock in the
morning till midnight. The darkness was so great that people
were unable to read common print, or tell the time of day
by their watches, or to dine, or to transact their ordinary busi-
ness, without the light of candles. Similar days have oc-
casionally been known, though inferior in the degree or extent
of their darkness. The causes of these phenomena are not
known. They certainly were not the result of eclipses."—
Robert Sear's "Guide to Knowledge."
"The nineteenth of May, 1780, was unprecedented in New
© F. B. Belden.
The Falling of the Stars, Nov. 13, 1833
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
9
England for its great darkness. . . . The darkness extended
over several thousand square miles, though differing much in
intensity in different places. Nowhere, perhaps, was it
greater than in this vicinity. The day was appropriately
called and is still known as the dark day."—"History of the
Town of Hampton, New Hampshire," by Joseph Dorr, Salem,
Massachusetts, printed by the Salem Press and Printing Com-
pany, 1893, volume 1, page 217.
"There appears to have been absence of clouds for the
most part, though light rain occurred. Though known as the
`Black Friday of New England,' the area covered by dark-
ness also extended west of that section."—"Encyclopedia
Americana," the Americana Company, New York, 1903, ar-
ticle "Dark Day."
"The darkness of the following evening was probably as
deep and dense as ever had been observed since the Almighty
first gave birth to light; it wanted only palpability to render
it as extraordinary as that which overspread the land of
Egypt in the days of Moses. If every luminous body in the
universe had been shrouded in impenetrable shades, or struck
out of existence, it was thought the darkness could not have
been more complete. A sheet of white paper, held within a
few inches of the eyes, was equally invisible with the black-
est velvet."—Article by R. M. Devens, "Our First Century,"
1776-1876; "Great and Memorable Events," pages 89-96.
3.
A few years preceding the darkening of the sun, on
November 1, 1755, occurred one of the greatest of earthquakes
known in history. It is commonly known as the Lisbon
earthquake, because the greatest loss of life occurred in that
city; but the area of its agitation was over four million square
miles. About ninety thousand persons lost their lives on that
fatal day. A large part of Europe and north Africa was
shaken, and the agitation was felt as far north as Greenland
and as far west as the West Indies.
4.
"The most sublime phenomenon of shooting stars, of
which the world has furnished any record, was witnessed
throughout the United States on the morning of the thirteenth
of November, 1833. The extent of this astonishing exhibition
has not been precisely ascertained; but it covered no incon-
siderable part of the earth's surface. . . . The whole heavens
seemed in motion, and suggested to some the awful grandeur
of the image employed in the Apocalypse, upon the opening
of the sixth seal, when the stars of heaven fell unto the
earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she
is shaken of a mighty wind.' "—Burritt's "Geography of the
Heavens," pages 157, 158.
"No philosopher or scholar has told or recorded an event,
10
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
I suppose, like that of yesterday morning. A prophet 1,800
years ago foretold it exactly, if we will be at the trouble of
understanding stars falling to mean falling stars."—Article
in New York
Journal of Commerce,
November 14, 1833.
"Compared with the splendors of this celestial exhibition,
the most brilliant rockets and fireworks of art bore less re-
lation than the twinkling of the most tiny star to the broad
glare of the sun. The whole heavens seemed in motion; and
little need have been borrowed from the morbid sensibility,
to imagine that the opening of the sixth seal was indeed at
hand, when the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as
a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of
a mighty wind. Never before has it fallen to our lot to ob-
serve a phenomenon so magnificent and sublime."—New York
Commercial Advertiser,
quoted in the
Eastern Argus
(Port-
land, Maine) of November 18, 1833.
"We pronounce the raining fire which we saw on Wednes-
day morning last an awful type—a sure forerunner—a mer-
ciful sign of that great and dreadful day which the inhabit-
ants of the earth will witness when the sixth seal shall be
opened.
"That time is just at hand described not only in the New
Testament but in the Old; and a more correct picture of a
fig tree casting its leaves when blown by a mighty wind, it
was not possible to behold.
"Many things now occurring upon the earth tend to con-
vince us that we are in the 'latter days.' This exhibition we
deem to be a type of an awful day fast hurrying upon us.
This is our sincere opinion; and what we think, we are not
ashamed to tell."—The
Old Countryman,
New York, printed
in the New York
Star,
and quoted in the Portland (Maine)
Evening Advertiser,
November 26, 1833.
5. "Christ has given signs of His coming. He declares
that we may know when He is near, even at the doors. He
says of those who see these signs, 'This generation shall not
pass, till all these things be fulfilled.' These signs have ap-
peared. Now we know of a surety that the Lord's coming
is at hand."—"The Desire of Ages," page 632.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
11
Lesson 3—Present-Day Tokens
OCTOBER 20, 1917
DAILY STUDY OUTLINE
Sabbath ...Read "Heralds of the Morning," chap-
ter 14.
Sunday ....God's purpose in giving signs
Ques. 1, .2
Monday ...Sounding of the seventh angel
Ques. 3-6
Tuesday ...Other last-day conditions
Ques. 7-10
Read "Testimonies for the Church,"
volume 9,
pages
11-17.
Wednesday.Conditions prevailing; scoffers
Ques. 11-14
Thursday ..The Judgment
Ques. 15-17
Friday ....Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
For what purpose are signs of the end given?
Matt. 24: 33.
2.
What signs of the end are given through the
prophet Joel? Joel 3: 9-14. Note 1.
3.
What announcement is made in heaven at the time
of the sounding of the seventh angel? Rev. 11: 15.
4.
What do the four and twenty elders then say?
Verse 17.
5.
What is the attitude of the nations? Verse 18,
first clause. Note 2.
6.
How is this anger of the nations connected with
the closing scenes of this world's history? Same verse,
latter part. Note 3.
7.
What will overtake those who sing the siren song
of "peace and safety"? 1 Thess. 5: 3.
8.
What other remarkable conditions are charac,teris-
tic of the last days? James 5: 1-6. Note 4.
9.
What admonition is given to God's people at this
time of stress and strife? Verses 7-9.
10.
What does the prophet Daniel predict for "the
time of the end"? Dan. 12: 4. Note 5.
11.
How does Christ describe the moral and social
conditions that will prevail in the last days? Matt.
24: 37-39.
12.
What does the apostle Paul say of the spiritual
conditions in the last days? 2 Tim. 3: 1-5.
12
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
13.
What class of persons will there be in the last
days? 2 Peter 3: 3.
14.
What will these scoffers be saying? Of what
truth are they ignorant? Verses 4-7. Note 6.
15.
Why is the day of Judgment so long deferred?
Verse 9.
16.
Though apparently long deferred, what is abso-
lutely sure? Verse 10.
17.
In view of this fact, what admonition should we
earnestly heed? Verses 11, 14.
Notes
1.
The vision of Joel presents unparalleled preparation
for war. All available resources are taxed to get ready for
the conflict. That this is a last-day prophecy, the text itself
makes plain. It is "the day of the Lord;" the "harvest is
ripe;" the time of the Judgment is at hand.
2.
This points to a time when the nations of the world as
a whole are greatly stirred. Never was this so emphatically
true as at the present time.
3.
We are living in the time of the sounding of the seventh
angel; and we have been beholding the conditions here de-
scribed, for two or three years. The evident fulfillment of
this scripture is surely among the latter-day tokens.
4.
That this is an age of unparalleled accumulation of
wealth, no one will deny. That some of the colossal fortunes
amassed in these days have been obtained by fraudulent means
is also well known, and that is amply sufficient to fulfill this
prophecy. But no one should hold that wealth is in itself
sinful, or that all rich men are knaves. Not money, but the
love of it, is "the root of all evil." The poor man may love
money, and sell his honor to obtain it, as truly as the man
with his millions. Another characteristic of this age is wan-
tonness, a prodigal expenditure of money. This is seen in
almost every department of life.
5.
The book of Daniel was sealed up till "the time of the
end." This expression refers to a brief period of time just
preceding the end. Since that time, the book of Daniel has
been read and understood as never before; and knowledge
of the prophecies has greatly increased. The circulation of
the Bible has increased in a wonderful manner. Before this
time, a few millions of the Bible in about fifty different lan-
guages were the world's stock. Since that time, the British
and Foreign Bible Society, the American Bible Society, to-
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
13
gether with various other agencies, have given to the world
approximately five hundred million copies of the Bible and
portions, in five hundred and fifty languages. The Bible is
by far the most widely known and read book in existence.
There has also been a marvelous increase of knowledge along
other lines.
6. Many persons whose minds have been befogged by evo-
lutionary hypotheses and geological speculations refuse to
believe that this world was once destroyed by a flood, and
so are prepared to discredit the message of Christ's soon
coming, and the destruction of the present world by fire.
Such will scoff at the advent doctrine. Willful ignorance of
the word of God is dangerous ground.
Lesson
4—Events
of the Day of the Lord
OCTOBER 27, 1917
DAILY STUDY OUTLINE
Sabbath
...Read "The Great Controversy," pages
635-644.
Sunday ...."The day of the Lord"
Qum 1-4
Monday ...Solemn announcement; terrible scourge
Ques. 5, 6
Tuesday ...The resurrection
Ques. 7-9
Read "The Great Controversy," pages
644, 645.
Wednesday.The millennium
Ques. 10-13
Thursday ..The earth desolate; the second resur-
rection
Ques. 14-18
Read "Early Writings," old edition,
pages 149-153; new edition, pages
289-295.
Friday ....Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What will be the general character of "the day of
the Lord" ? Zeph. 1: 14, 15. Ans.—It is "a
day
of
wrath."
2.
What events will occur in this period of time known
as "the day of the Lord"? 2 Peter 3: 10-12. Note 1.
3.
What signs precede this final day of God's wrath?
Rev. 6 : 12-17.
4.
In speaking of these same signs, what event does
Christ say will follow? Matt. 24 : 29-31. Ans.—The
coming of Christ.
14
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
5.
What most solemn announcement will be made
a little while before the actual appearing of our Lord in
the clouds of heaven? Rev. 22: 11, 12.
6.
When, by this decree, impenitent men are left to
the fruit of their own doings, what terrible scourge of
God's wrath falls upon the earth? Rev. 15: 1 ; 16:1.
Note 2.
7.
What other event will take place just before the
coming of the Lord? Dan. 12:2. Note 3.
8.
When will the general resurrection of the righteous
take place? 1 Cor. 15: 22, 23; 1 Thess. 4: 16.
9.
How is this resurrection designated? Rev. 20: 5, 6.
10.
What is said of "the rest of the dead," those who
are not classed among the "blessed and holy"? Verse 5.
11.
In what work will the saints be engaged during the
thousand years? Verses 4, 6. Note 4.
12.
At the coming of Christ, what will be done with
Satan? Rev. 20: 1-3. Note 5.
13.
At the same time, what terrible calamities will
overtake the wicked? 2 Thess. 1 : 7-9; 2: 8.
14.
In what condition will the earth be during the
time that Satan is bound? Isa. 24: 1-3; Jer. 4: 20-27.
15.
Where will the saints be while the earth is in this
desolate condition? John 14: 1-3; 1 Thess. 4: 16, 17.
16.
At the close of the thousand years, what will occur?
Rev. 20: 7-10.
17.
How is this destruction of sinners described else-
where? Mal. 4: 1.
18.
After the earth is cleansed by fire and renewed,
what will take place? What will be the final home of
the saved? Rev. 21: 1-3; Ps.
11, 29.
Notes
1.
Note the scope of events to take place during this
period called "the day of the Lord":
a.
The rolling away of the heavens as a scroll,
b.
The utter dismay of the wicked.
e. The destruction of the armies of the nations.
d.
The fires that will burn up all the works of man.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
15
e.
This scene of desolation to continue a long period, even
"from generation to generation."
f.
The final fires, in which the very heavens will be ablaze,
and the most substantial of earth's elements will melt with
fervent heat and be dissolved.
g.
Out of which fire will come forth the new earth, puri-
fied to be the home of the righteous forever.
This is "the day of the Lord." To-day is man's day, the
day of probation, the day of salvation. When it ends, the
day of God begins.
2.
"1 saw that Jesus would not leave the most holy place
until every case was decided either for salvation or destruc-
tion, and that the wrath of God could not come until Jesus
had finished His work in the most holy place, laid off His
priestly attire, and clothed Himself with the garments of
vengeance. Then Jesus will step out from between the Fa-
ther and man, and God will keep silence no longer, but pour
out His wrath on those who have rejected His truth. . . .
When our High Priest has finished His work in the sanctuary,
He will stand up, put on the garments of vengeance, and
then the seven last plagues will be poured out."—"Early
Writings," page 36, edition of 1906.
3.
"Graves are opened, and 'many of them that sleep in
the dust of the earth . . . awake, some to everlasting life,
and some to shame and everlasting contempt.' All who have
died in the faith of the third angel's message come forth from
the tomb glorified, to hear God's covenant of peace with those
who have kept His law. 'They also which pierced Him,' those
that mocked and derided Christ's dying agonies, and the most
violent opposers of His truth and His people, are raised to
behold Him in His glory, and to see the honor placed upon
the loyal and obedient."—"The Great Controversy," page 637.
4.
The saints sit with Christ on thrones, and reign one
thousand years. But the thrones are thrones of judgment,
and the saints act with Christ as associate judges. The
apostle Paul explains this, in 1 Cor. 6: 2, 3, by saying that
the saints shall judge the world, and the fallen angels also.
That is, they will examine the records, and apportion a recom-
pense to each according to his deeds.
5.
"Bottomless pit" is not the best translation. The Re-
vised Version reads "abyss." The word is used in the Sep-
tuagint, Gen. 1 : 2, to describe the earth as it was in chaos,
before God said, "Let there be light." That passage would
then read, "And the earth was without form, and void; and
darkness was upon the face of the abyss."
16
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
Lesson 5—The Saints' Inheritance
NOVEMBER 3, 1917
DAILY STUDY OUTLINE
Sabbath ...Read "Early Writings," pages 9-15, old
edition; pages 13-20, neve edition.
Sunday ....God's original purpose
Ques. 1, 2
Monday ...The result of sin
(Ines. 3-5
Tuesday ...The earth restored
Ques. 6-9
Wednesday.God's promise to Abraham
Clues. 10-12
Thursday ..New earth described
Ques. 13-16
Read "The Great Controversy old
edition, pages 673-678.
Friday ....Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What was God's original purpose in creating this
earth? Isa. 45: 18.
2.
In pursuance of this plan, what kind of people did
God make to dwell on the earth? Gen. 1: 27, 31; Heb.
2: 6, 7.
3.
To what extent has man lost his primitive state of
purity and godlikeness? Rom. 3: 23. Note L
4.
How has the earth also suffered because of man's
fall? Gen. 3: 17, 18.
5.
For what is all creation waiting? Rom. 8: 18-23.
Compare Revised Version.
6.
What has God promised concerning all things that
have been marred by sin? Acts 3:21. Note 2.
7.
How will the earth be restored to its former glory?
Isa. 65: 17, 18.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
17
8.
For what, then, is it the glorious privilege of God's
people to look? 2 Peter 3: 13.
9.
How may lost, sinful men be fitted for such im-
mortal joys? Luke 19: 10; Matt. 1:21; 2 Cor. 5: 17.
10.
What promise did God make to Abraham? What
was the extent of this promise? Gen. 13: 14-16; Rom.
4:13.
11.
Whom does God count as the seed of Abraham?
Rom. 9: 7, 8; Gal. 3:29.
12.
Who only, then, will possess the inheritance of the
earth made new? Matt. 5: 5; Ps. 37: 9.
13.
What glorious prospects are held out to those who
love the Lord? 1 Cor. 2: 9.
14.
How are new-earth conditions described -by the
Revelator? Rev. 21: 1-4; 22: 3-5.
15.
What picture does the prophet Isaiah draw of the
future state? Isa. 35: 5-7.
16.
What will Christ do for those who fully accept
Him as their Saviour? Eph. 2: 1; Phil. 3:21. Note 3.
Notes
1.
"Through sin the divine likeness was marred, and well-
nigh obliterated. Man's physical powers were weakened, his
mental capacity was lessened, his spiritual vision dimmed.
He had become subject to death."—"Education," page 15.
2.
"By infinite love and mercy the plan of salvation had
been devised, and a life of probation was granted. To restore
in man the image of his Maker, to bring him back to the per-
fection in which he was created, to promote the development
of body, mind, and soul, that the divine purpose in his crea-
tion might be realized,—this was to be the work of redemp-
tion."—Id., pages 15, 16.
3.
Christ will give life to the spiritually dead; He will
transform and renew the darkened mind; He will change this
mortal, degenerate body, and glorify it. What a wonderful
transformation!
"Christ came to restore that which had been lost. He will
change our vile bodies, and fashion them like unto His glo-
rious body. The mortal, corruptible form, devoid of comeli-
ness, once polluted with sin, bwornes perfect, beautiful, and
immortal. All blemishes and deformities are left in the
grave. Restored to the tree of life in the long-lost Eden, the
18
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON OHAATERLY
redeemed will 'grow up' to the full stature of the race in its
primeval glory. The last lingering traces of the curse of sin
will be removed, and Christ's faithful ones will appear 'in the
beauty of the Lord our God,' in mind and soul and body re-
flecting the perfect image of their Lord. Oh, wonderful re-
demption! long talked of, long hoped for, contemplated with
eager anticipation, but never fully understood."—"The Great
Controversy," page 645.
Lesson 6—Nature of the Law of God
NOVEMBER 10, 1917
DAILY STUDY OUTLINE
Sabbath ...Read "Testimonies for the Church," vol-
ume
s,
pages 198-200.
Sunday ....God's unchanging character
(toes. 1-3
Monday ...Purpose of God's law
Ques. 4, 5
Tuesday ...God's will revealed through the Deca-
logue
Ques. 6, 7
11 e a 41 "Patriarchs a a d Prophets,"
pages 363-373.
Wednesday.Christ's attitude toward the law
Ques. 8-10
Thursday ..Love the guiding Principle
Ques. 11-14
Friday ....Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
How is the character of God expressed? 1 John
4: 8, 16.
2.
How great was God's love for sinful man? John
3:16.
3.
What assurances are given concerning God's un-
changing nature? Mal. 3: 6; James 1:17.
4.
What attributes are included in God's nature,
which is love? Ex. 34: 6, 7; Ps. 89: 14. Ans.—Both
justice and mercy.
5.
Of what could there be no knowledge without a
law defining sin? Rom. 3: 20; 1 John 3: 4.
6.
When God's chosen people had lost, to a large ex-
tent, the knowledge of Hi law, how did God reveal to
them
anew
His will? Ex". 20: 3-17.
Ans.—By..
giving
them the Decalogue.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
19
7.
What statement shows that this law is universal in
its claims? Rom. 3: 19.
8.
Since the law cannot justify the transgressor, of
what value is it? James
1
:
9
3-25. Note 1.
9.
Besides putting it into written form, how has God
revealed His law in a living form? Ps. 40:7, 8; John
15: 10.
10.
What did Jesus say concerning His attitude toward
the law? Matt. 5: 17, 18. Compare Revised Version.
Note 2.
11.
What did Jesus say was the relation of the law to
love? Matt. 22: 36-40.
12.
What has made it possible for fallen man to keep
the law of God? Rom. 8: 3, 4.
13.
What has God promised to do for those who will
enter into the new-covenant relationship with Him? Heb.
8: 10.
14.
When man sustains this relationship with God,
what will be his attitude toward the law? Ps. 119: 97.
Notes
1. The value of the law is that—
a.
It reveals sin, as in a moral mirror.
b.
It condemns sin, thus evidencing its own righteousness.
Rom. 7: 9-12.
c.
It is an agency in conversion. Ps. 19: 7.
d.
It witnesses to the character of the righteousness of
Christ, which has been manifested for us. Rom. 3: 21.
e.
It is the standard of righteousness. Isa. 51: 7.
f.
It will be the standard of the final Judgment. James
2: 9-12; Eccl. 12: 13,
14.
2. "Long should pause the erring hand of man before he
dares to chip away, with the chisel of human reasoning, one
single word graven on the enduring tables by the hand of the
infinite God. Is the eternal tablet of His law to be defaced
by a creature's hand?
He
who proposes such an act, should
fortify himself by reasons as holy as God and as mighty as
His power. None but consecrated hands could touch the ark
of God; thrice holy should be the hands which would dare to
alter the testimony which lay within the ark."—George Elliott,
in "Abiding Sabbath," pages 128, 129.
"The law of
God is a divine law, holy, heavenly, perfect.
20
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
. . . There is not a command too many; there is not one too
few; but it is so incomparable that its perfection is a proof
of its divinity. No human lawgivers could have given forth
such a law as that which we find in the Decalogue."—Spur-
geon's Sermons, page 280, quoted in "Facts for the Times,"
page 105.
Lesson
7
—
Relation
of the Law and the Gospel
NOVEMBER 17, 1917
DAILY STUDY OUTLINE
Sabbath ...Read "The Great Controversy,"
pages
465-469.
Sunday ...."The law of liberty"
Ques. 1-5
Monday ...Purpose of the gospel
Ques. 6-8
Tuesday „Rig h teousness
Ques. 9-12
Wednesday.Imputed righteousness
Ques. 13-15
Thursday ..Faith and obedience
Ques. 16-18
Friday ....Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What purpose does the law of God serve? Rom.
3:20. Note 1.
2.
How was Paul's sin revealed to him? Rom. 7: 7.
3.
Under what figure does James set forth the same
fact? James 1:23-25.
4.
Of what law is James speaking which he calls "the
law of liberty," and the "royal" or "supreme" law?
James 2: 8-12.
5.
What lessons do these scriptures teach as to the
perpetuity of the Ten Commandments? Note 2.
6.
What is it impossible for the law to do for the
transgressor? Rom. 3: 20, 23; 7: 10.
7.
Seeing man's hopeless condition, what did our mer-
ciful Father do? Rom. 8: 3, 4. Note 3.
8.
What, then, is the purpose of the gospel of Christ?
What is revealed therein? Rom. 1: 16, 17. Note 4.
9.
What does God demand of every morally account-
able being? Matt. 5: 20, 48. Ans.—Perfect righteous-
ness.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
21
10.
What has the sinner himself to offer to meet this
requirement? Rom. 7: 18; Isa. 64: 6.
•
11.
How is God's righteousness set forth for us? How
may we obtain it? Rom. 3: 21-26. Note 5.
12.
Who is cited as an example of righteousness by
faith? Rom. 4: 3.
13.
How does his experience show that faith need not
waver before human impossibilities? Verses 20, 21.
14.
Although God imputed righteousness to Abraham
because of his faith, how did Abraham regard the com-
mandments of God? Gen. 26: 5.
15.
How should faith in Christ cause one to regard
the law of God? Rom. 3: 31. Note 6.
16.
How is a faith characterized that does not bring
obedience? James 2:20, 26.
17.
How does obedience react upon faith? Verse 22.
18.
What will be the experience of those who in the
last days are preparing for the coming of Christ? Rev.
14: 12.
Notes
1.
"God placed man under law, as an indispensable con-
dition of his very existence. He was a subject of the divine
government, and there can be no government without law."
—"Patriarchs and Prophets," page 49.
God's law is restrictive; but it is a guard which our heav-
enly Father has placed around His children in love. Outside
the pale of the law is anarchy, destruction, death. Continued
violation of physical law leads to physical death; continued
violation of spiritual law leads to spiritual death.
"The law of God is as sacred as Himself. It is a revela-
tion of His will, a transcript of His character, the expression
of divine love and wisdom. The harmony of creation depends
upon the perfect conformity of all beings, of everything, ani-
mate and inanimate, to the law of the Creator. God has or-
dained laws for the government, not only of living beings,
but of all the operations of nature. Everything is under fixed
laws, which cannot be disregarded. But while everything in
nature is governed by natural laws, man alone, of all that in-
habits the earth, is amenable to moral law. To man, the
crowning work of creation, God has given power to understand
His requirements, to comprehend the justice and beneficence
22
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
of His law, and its sacred claims upon him; and of man un-
swerving obedience is required."—Id., page 52.
2.
The law which says, "Thou shalt not covet," convicted
Paul of sin. The law which forbids murder and adultery was
a living, active agency when James wrote his epistle. That
law is the Decalogue. Christ did not annul or change it. It
is just as effective for a twentieth century sinner of the Chris-
tian era. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the
soul."
3.
The work of Christ, then, was not to set aside the claims
of the law, but on the contrary, to provide a way whereby the
"righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us."
4.
Of all known religions, the religion of Christ is the only
one which furnishes power to live a righteous life. It is the
only religion that is founded in love, and love is the only
power that can cope successfully with sin in the life.
5.
This wonderful passage sets forth the gospel in brief.
The law demands a perfect righteousness. The sinner can
present only filthy rags. Our blessed Redeemer comes to the
rescue, and offers His perfect righteousness, wrought out in
human life,—complete obedience to all the commandments of
God. God accepts this in behalf of the sinner. The sinner
lays hold of it by faith, and is secure. Nothing that we have
done or can do is the ground of our' justification, but rather
the all-sufficient merit of Christ's life. "For if, when we
were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His
Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His
life." Rom. 5: 10.
"As to the method of justification, three things are to be
considered: the originating, the meritorious, and the instru-
mental causes. The originating cause is the grace of God,
which disposed Him, when we were exposed to death as a
penalty of our offense, to provide a substitute in His Son.
This substitute is the meritorious cause of our justification.
What Jesus Christ did in obedience to the precepts of the
law, and what He suffered in satisfaction of its penalty, con-
stitute the ground of our forgiveness and justification before
God. As to the instrumental cause of our justification, the
merit of Christ does not operate so as to produce pardon as
a necessary and unavoidable effect, but through the instru-
mentality of faith."—"Binney's Theological Compendium,"
page 121.
6.
"The law of God must be distinctly set forth. The con-
gregation should be gathered as around the base of Sinai, as
from the summit is heard the voice of God in those command-
ments which are eternal and unalterable in their character,
, The law must be followed by the gospel. The awakened•
AADBATH
SCHOOL
LtssoN
QUARTERLY
23
sinner must be pointed to the Saviour, that he may see that,
deep as his transgression may be, the blood of Christ can wash
it away. There are many preachers who love to talk of the
gospel alone. . . . They may thus rear a beautiful structure;
but its foundation is on the sand. No true edifice can be raised
without its foundation's being dug deep by repentance toward
God. The gospel has no significance, except it is based on the
positive law, which Christ came not to destroy, but to fulfill.
The law without the gospel leads to service; the gospel with-
out the law leads to antinomianism; the two combined—char-
ity out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith
unfeigned."—Bishop Simpson.
Lesson 8—ThesSabbath in the Old Testament
NOVEMBER 24, 1917
DAILY STUDY OUTLINE
Sabbath ...Read "Patriarchs and Prophets," pages
47, 48.
Sunday ....Christ as Creator
Ques. 1-3
Monday ...The Sabbath
Ques. 4, 5
Tuesday ...The Sabbath existed before the law was
given ou Mount Sinai
Ques. 6, 7
Wednesday.The definite day made plain
Ques. 8, 9
Thursday ..Row it should be observed
Ques. 10-13
Friday ....Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What is Christ's relation to the creation of all
things ? Col. 1: 16.
2.
How long a time was devoted to creating the earth?
Ex. 31: 17.
3.
After finishing His creative work, what did our
Lord do? Gen. 2: 1-3. Note 1.
4.
For whose benefit was the Sabbath made? Mark
2 : 27.
5.
What additional reason was given for the observ-
ance of the Sabbath after the deliverance of Israel from
Egypt? Deut. 5: 15. Note 2.
6.
What evidence do we have that the week was
known before the law was given on Mount Sinai? Gen.
7: 4; 8: 10, 12; 29: 27, 28.
7.
Of what did Pharaoh complain when Moses began
24
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
to work for the deliverance of. Israel from Egypt?
-
Ex.
5 (
-
4, 5. Note 3.
8. How was the definite day of the Sabbath made
plain to the children of Israel? Ex. 16: 23-30, 35.
Note 4.
Moses Receiving the Law on Sinai
9.
How were they instructed to observe the sacred
day? Verses 22-24.
10.
What work does the fourth commandment forbid?
Ex. 20: 8-10.
Ans.—"Thy
work."
11.
What work then is in harmony with the Sabbath
law?
Ans.—God's
work. Note 5.
12.
In contrast to a day of gloom and sorrow, what
was the Sabbath to be? Isa. 58: 13, 14.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
25
13. What shows that the Sabbath will be kept in the
new earth? Isa. 66: 22, 23.
Notes
1.
It is theiefore clear that our Lord Jesus Christ made
the Sabbath, and therefore
.
it is in a peculiar sense His day.
It was made at the close of creation week, before sin en-
tered, and therefore does not belong to the ceremonial system
of types and shadows made necessary by sin, and abolished
by Christ at His death. The Sabbath was made of the sev-
enth day, by God's resting on that day, and then blessing and
sanctifying that day. Notice, it was the
seventh
day, and not
the Sabbath institution, that God blessed and sanctified.
Dr. Lange, a German commentator, says, "If we had no
other passage than this of Gen. 2: 3, there would be no diffi-
culty in deducing from it a precept for the universal ob-
servance of a Sabbath, or seventh day, to be devoted to God
as holy time, by all of that race for whom the earth and its
nature were specially prepared."—Commentary, volume 1,
page 197.
On the expression, "and sanctified it," Prof. George Bush
says: "It is by this term that positive appointment of the
Sabbath as a day to man is expressed. God's sanctifying the
day is equivalent to His commanding men to sanctify it. As
at the close of creation the seventh day was then set apart
by the Most High for such purpose, without limitation to age
or country, the observance of it is obligatory upon the whole
human race. . . . The sanctification of the seventh day in the
present case can only be understood of its being set apart to
the special worship and service of God."—Notes on Genesis,
volume 1, pages 47-49.
2.
The Lord is our Creator, our Redeemer, our Sanctifier.
The Sabbath is a memorial of creation, a memorial of redemp-
tion, the sign of sanctification. The memorial of creation is
given in Ex. 20: 8-11, of redemption in Deut. 5:,15, of sancti-
fication in Ex. 31: 17; Ezek. 20: 12.
.3. "In their bondage the Israelites had to some extent
lost the knowledge of God's law, and they had departed from
its precepts. The Sabbath had been generally disregarded,
and the exactions of their taskmasters made its observance
apparently impossible. But Moses had shown his people that
obedience to God was the first condition of deliverance; and
the efforts made to restore the observance of the Sabbath had
come to the notice of their oppressors."—"Patriarchs and
Prophets," page 258.
4. It has been stated that the fourth commandment does
not specify the day of the week, but only the seventh day
26
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
after six days of work. But the experience of the children of
Israel in gathering manna made it impossible for any one
to keep any other day but the seventh day of the week, with-
out great inconvenience. Thus for forty years, God pointed
out the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath, and thus fixed
the meaning of the fourth commandment.
5. The priests were to offer two lambs on the Sabbath,
which would involve more work on that day than on other
days; but it was the Lord's work, not their own, that they
would be doing. See Num. 28: 9, 10; Ezek. 46: 4.
Lesson
9—The
Sabbath in the New Testament
DECEMBER 1, 1917
DAILY STUDY OUTLINE
Sabbath ...Read "The Desire of Ages," chapter 31,
Pages 307-310.
Sunday ....Christ's relation to the Sabbath
Ques. 1-3
Monday ...What work may be done on the Sab-
bath?
Ques. 4, 5
Tuesday ...The Saviour's custom
Ques. 6, 7
Wednesday.Observed by Christ and His disciples
Ques. 8, 9
Thursday ..The Lord's day in the Christian dispen-
sation
Ques. 10-14
Friday ....Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What was Christ's attitude toward the Decalogue,
that law which contains the Sabbath command? Ps. 40:
8 ; Matt. 5: 17, 18.
2.
How does He state His relation to the Sabbath of
the law? Mark 2: 27, 28. Note 1.
3.
Who, then, is the proper interpreter of the Sab-
bath law? What does He say about Sabbath observance?
Matt. 12 : 12.
4.
What are some of the things that can be done on
the Sabbath without violating the fourth command?
Verses 10-13; Luke 13: 11-17.
5.
In the light of Christ's teaching, what work is for-
bidden by the fourth commandment?
Ans.—"Thy
work."
6.
What was Christ's custom on the Sabbath day?
Luke 4: 16-22.
7.
What shows that this custom of our Lord was fol-
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
27
lowed by His disciples long after the ascension? Acts
17:2.
8.
What admonition did our Lord give to His disciples
that would cause them to remember the Sabbath for at
least forty years after the resurrection? Matt. 24: 20.
9.
After the death of Christ, what day of the week
was observed by His followers? Luke 23: 54-56.
10.
How many times is the first day of the week, com-
monly called Sunday, mentioned in the New Testament?
To what particular first day do six of these statements
refer? Note 2.
11.
Is the first day of the week ever called the Sabbath,
or the Lord's day, or is any sacred title given to it in
the New Testament? Does the record indicate that there
was any controversy, during the apostolic age, over the
day of the Sabbath? Note 3.
12.
What instance do we have of the apostle Paul hold-
ing a meeting on the first day of the week? Acts 20: 6, 7.
Note 4.
13.
What does Paul exhort Christians to do on the
first day of the week? 1 Cor. 16: 1, 2. Note 5.
14.
Has the Lord a day, in the Christian age, which
He calls His own? Rev. 1: 10. Note 6.
Notes
1.
"Jesus confirms the Sabbath on its spiritual basis.
`The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sab-
bath.' . . . Thus He at once rids it of all the false restric-
tions of Judaism, and establishing it upon its primitive foun-
dationS, He brought forth its higher reason in the assertion .
of the relation to the well-being of man. 'The Sabbath was
made for man;' not for Jew only, but for the whole race of
mankind; not for one age alone, but for man universally,
under every circumstance of time and place."—George Elliott,
in "Abiding Sabbath," page 165.
2.
"The first day of the week" is directly
mentioned but
eight times in the New Testament. See Matt. 28: 1; Mark
16: 1, 2, 9; Luke 24: 1; John 20: 1, 19; Acts 20: 7; 1 Cor.
16: 1, 2. The first six of these occur in the record of the
Gospels, and refer directly to the same day,—the day
on
which Christ rose from the dead. On this day, Christ ap-
28
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
peared several times to various disciples, that He might have
witnesses to the fact that "He rose again the third day ac-
cording to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15: 4), and also to fulfill
His own prediction. that He must "be killed, and be raised
again the third day" (Matt. 16: 21). This was to be one of
the proofs of His Messiahship.
3.
The absolute silence of the New Testament on Sunday
sacredness must be a great surprise to those who look for evi-
dence to justify Sunday observance. Nowhere is any sacred
title whatever given to the first day of the week. No precept
is given to observe it in any way. No Sabbatic observance of
it is anywhere recorded. Nor is there any record of any
controversy over the question of which day was the Sabbath
during apostolic times. This silence is inexplicable if any
such innovation as the observance of Sunday as the Sabbath
was growing up in the church during that period.
4.
There is no evidence, in Acts 20, that it was the custom
of the church at Troas, or of the apostle Paul, regularly to
meet on the first day of the week. One isolated incident does
not establish a custom. Nor does the statement necessarily
convey the idea of a custom. The "Englishman's Greek New
Testament" translates it as follows: "And on the first day
of the week, the disciples having been assembled to break
bread, Paul discoursed to them."
5.
This was not a public collection at the church, as some
have conceived. "Lay by him in store, as he may prosper,"
is the reading of the Revised Version.
The following renderings may be useful: "Let each one
of you put by itself, treasuring up."—Rotherham.
"Let every one of you put apart with himself, laying up
what it shall well please him."—Douay Version.
"The collection for the poor saints at Jerusalem, to be
prepared for, in private, weekly, and to be ready for trans-
mission when he comes."—"Oxford Century Bible."
6.
The word of God, not uninspired history, must decide
•
which day is .the Lord's day. Christ our Lord made the Sab-
bath. He claims to be its Lord. Mark 2: 28. Therefore the.
Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, the day which the Lord
observed, is the Lord's day. "The seventh day is the Sabbath
of the Lord thy God." Ex. 20: 10. No human reasoning
can ever vitiate that fact. No ambiguous statements by
unknown romancers of the second century can be made to
offset a plain "Thus saith the Lord."
Distinction should be made between Saturday and Sab-
bath; for the time of the beginning of the day, as well as
the day, has been changed by apostasy. Our Sabbath takes
in only three fourths of Saturday, broadly speaking.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON• QUARTERLY
29
Lesson 10—The Change of the Sabbath
DECEMBER 8, 1917
DAILY STUDY OUTLINE
Sabbath ...Read "The Great Controversy," pages
434-450.
Sunday ....The seventh-day Sabbath
Ques. 1-3
Monday
great apostasy
Ques 4-6
Tuesday ...Daniel's prophecy
Ques. 7, 8
Wednesday.Origin of Sunday observance
Ques. 9-11
Thursday „Blessing pronounced on commandment
keepers
Ques. 12, 13
Friday ....Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What day of the week is the only day recognized by
-
the Bible as the Sabbath? Ans.—The seventh day. Ex.
20 : 8-11; Luke 23: 54-56.
2.
What day of the week is now commonly observed
by the majority of Christians? Ans.—The first day of
the week.
3.
Can there be a change in the day of the Sabbath
without a change in the law of the Sabbath? But what
does Christ say of that law of which the Sabbath is a
part? Matt. 5: 17, 18.
4.
Can one read "the first day of the week" into the
fourth commandment without changing many jots and
tittles?
5.
What prediction does the apostle Paul make con-
cerning a great apostasy in the church? 2 Thess. 2: 3, 4.
Note 1.
6.
How does he elsewhere describe the origin of this
apostasy in the church? Acts 20: 28-30. Note 2.
7.
What does Daniel say of the work of the great
ecclesiastical power which should arise? Dan. 7:25.
Note 3.
8.
What power claims to have made a change in the
Sabbath law? Note 4.
9.
When and how did Sunday observance begin among
Christians? Note 5.
10.
What were the chief factors in the exaltation of
Sunday over the Sabbath? Note 6.
30
SAI313ATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
11.
How does one writer sum up the historical evidence
for Sunday observance? Note 7.
12.
What does Jesus say concerning the keeping of the
commandments of men? Matt. 15: 9.
13.
What blessing is pronounced on those who keep
the Sabbath? Isa. 56: 2.
Notes
1.
Another translation for "a falling away" is "the apos-
tasy." When this apostasy is fully developed, the head, called
"the man of sin," will be seen sitting "in the temple of God,
setting himself forth as God." 2 Thess. 2: 3, 4, Revised
Version.
2.
Paul shows clearly the two chief sources of the falling
away from the purity of the apostolic faith. First, from
within the church "shall men arise, speaking perverse things."
3.
The Revised Version of this text reads, "He shall think
to change the times and the law."
4.
Attention is called to a few significant facts. The
Bible nowhere authorized a change in the law of God—the
Ten Commandments. That a change has been made in the
practice of Sabbath observance is generally admitted. The
only power on earth that claims the right to change the law
is the Roman Catholic Church as represented in the papal
hierarchy; and that organization further claims to have made
the change, thus identifying itself with the horn of Dan. 7: 25.
The following quotations from Catholic writers set the
matter forth very clearly:
"Question.—How
prove you that the church hath power
to command feasts and holy days?
"Answer.—By
the very act of changing the Sabbath into
Sunday, which Protestants allow of; and therefore they
fondly contradict themselves by keeping Sunday strictly, and
breaking most other feast days commanded by the same
church."—"Abridgment of Christian Doctrine," by the Rev.
Henry Tuberville, of Douay College, France (1649), page 58.
"Ques.—Have
you any other way of proving that. the
church has power to institute festivals of precept?
"Ans.—Had she not such power, she could not have done
that in which all modern religionists agree with her,—she
could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first
day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh
day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority."—
"A Doctrinal Catechism," by the Rev. Stephen Keenan,
page 174.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
31
"The Catholic Church of its own infallible authority
created Sunday a holy day to take the place of the Sabbath
of the old law."—Kansas City
Catholic,
February 9, 1893.
"The Catholic Church, . . . by virtue of her divine mis-
sion, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday."—eatholic
Mirror,
September 23, 1893.
"Ques.—Which is the Sabbath day?
"A
rcs.—Saturday is the Sabbath day.
"Ques.—Why
do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
"Ans.—We
observe Sunday instead of Saturday because
the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.
D.
336),
transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday."—"The
Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine," by the Rev. Peter
Geiermann, C. SS. R., page 50, third edition, 1913, a work
which received the "apostolic blessing" of Pope Pius X, Jan-
uary 25, 1910.
5.
According to Justin Martyr, as early as the middle of
the second century, some of the Christians, especially in the
west and at Rome, were observing Sunday in commemoration
of Christ's resurrection. But it was a day of festivity, and
had no Sabbatical character at that time, as Sir William
Domville testifies: "Centuries of the Christian era passed
away before Sunday was observed by the Christian church
as a Sabbath. History does not furnish us with a single proof
or indication that it was at any time so observed previous to
the Sabbatical edict of Constantine in
A. D.
321."
6.
One cause which operated powerfully to exalt Sunday
and to degrade the Sabbath was the enmity that early came
to prevail among Christians toward the Jews and everything
Jewish. The Jews had crucified Christ. They were most
bitter and relentless persecutors of the Christians. The Jews
kept Saturday. Constantine voiced the general sentiment of
the western church when he wrote to the bishops with ref-
erence to the celebration of Easter, "Let us have nothing in
common with that most hostile people, the Jews." (Socrates,
"History of the Church," book 1, chapter 9.)
Then came the celebrated edict of Constantine, the Roman
emperor, enacted in
A. D.
321, which commanded that the
"judges and town people, and the occupation of all trades,
rest on the venerable day of the sun," but gave full liberty
to the.couthtry people, the farmers, to work as on other days.
Mosheim states that as a consequence, the Sunday was after
this "observed with greater solemnity than it had been."
Yet the first day of the week was not the day of rest by
ecclesiastical authority. An act of the church was required
for that. But that was soon accomplished. In A.
D.
363-4, a
church council met at Laodicea and passed the following law:
32
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
"Christians shall not Judaize, and be idle on Saturday
[the Sabbath], but shall work on that day; but the Lord's
day they shall especially honor, and, as being Christians, shall,
if possible, do no work on that day. If, however, they are
found Judaizing, they shall be shut out from Christ."—Hefele,
"History of the Church Councils," volume 2, book 6, page 316.
7. "Thus do we see upon what grounds the Lord's day
stands: on custom first, and voluntary consecration of it to
religious meeting; that custom countenanced by the authority
of the church of God, which tacitly approved the same; and
finally, confirmed and ratified by Christian princes through-
out their empires. And as the day for rest from labors, and
restraint from business upon that day, [it] received its
greatest strength from the supreme magistrate as long as
he retained that power which to him belongs; as after from
the canons and decrees of councils, the decretals of popes,
and orders of particular prelates, when the sole managing
of ecclesiastical affairs was committed to them."—Dr. Peter
Heylyn, in "History of the Sabbath," third edition, page 353.
Lesson 11—Proper Sabbath Observance, and
Sabbath Reform in the Last.Days
DECEMBER 15, 1917
DAILY STUDY OUTLINE
Sabbath ...Read "Testimonies for the Church," vol-
ume 6, pages 349-368.
Sunday ...Proper observance of the Sabbath
Ques. 1-3
Monday ...The Sabbath not designed to be a bur-
den
Ques. 4
Tuesday ...Instructions given to the children of
Israel
Ques. 5-7
Wednesday. Christ's example; a. substitution
Ques. 8-10
Thursday —Deniers prophecy; a message and re-
frain
Ques. 11-14
Read "The Great Controversy," pages
451-460.
Friday ....Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What promise was made to Israel, conditioned on
proper Sabbath observance? Jer. 17: 24, 25.
2.
What judgment was predicted to overtake them for
continued violation of the Sabbath? Verse 27.
3.
What command had been given Israel concerning
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
33
Sabbath observance? What had they been forbidden to
do? Ex. 20: 8-11.
4.
What indicates that the Sabbath was not designed
to be a burdensome thing, a yoke of bondage? Isa. 58: 13.
5.
While they were on their way to the promised land,
what definite instruction was given to Israel concerning
the Sabbath and its observance? Ex. 16: 23-30.
6, During the wilderness experience of Israel, what
point of Sabbath observance was especially emphasized?
Ans.—Which day of the week was the Sabbath. Note 1.
7.
When the children of Israel returned from captivity
in Babylon, what was one of the chief features of Nehe-
miah's reformation? Neh. 13: 15-22.
8.
When our Lord was on earth, what kind of Sabbath
reformation did He teach? Matt. 12: 1-8.
9.
Since the time of Christ, how has man treated
God's holy day? Note 2.
10.
How were the people of God anciently led to dese-
crate God's holy day? Ezek. 22 : 25-28. Note 3.
11.
How does the prophet Daniel characterize the
power that should think to change the times and laws of
God? Dan. 7: 25.
12.
What does the Revelator say of the same power?
Rev. 13:2-8.
13.
To save a remnant of humanity from the influence
of this last-day apostasy, what message is God now send-
ing to the world? Rev. 14: 6-11.
14.
What will be the result of this message? Rev. 14:
12; 15:2, 3.
Notes
1.
Every week of the forty years, the children of Israel
witnessed a threefold miracle, which definitely pointed out
which day of the week was meant by the fourth command-
ment: first, a double portion of manna was given the day
before the Sabbath ; secondly, it was entirely withheld on
the Sabbath; thirdly, that which was kept overnight for Sab-
bath use was found to be perfectly fresh and sweet, but if
kept at any other time, it "bred worms, and stank." Ex.
16: 20, 24.
34
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
2.
Since the apostolic period, the professed church of
Christ, like its prototype of old, has substituted the tradi-
tions of men for the commandments of God. It has degraded
Jehovah's sacred day to a common working-day, and elevated
in its place the "wild solar holiday of all pagan times."
3.
While this passage applies to the apostasy in ancient
Israel, it graphically describes the doings of that dominant
ecclesiasticism which ruled Christendom for centuries; and
it also pictures what will again take place when the same
spirit of apostasy actuates the religious leaders of modern
Christendom. This prophecy is rapidly passing into history
before our eyes.
Lesson
12—The
Support of the Gospel Work
DECEMBER 22, 1917
DAILY STUDY OUTLINE
Sabbath ...Read •'Patriarchs and Prophets," pages
525-529.
Sunday ....The tithing system recognized by an-
cient Israel
Ques. 1-3
Monday ...Abraham paid tithes; Jacob's vow
Ques. 4-7
Tuesday ...The plan incorporated in the gospel
system
Ques. S-12
Wednesday.Good stewards
Ques. 13-19
Thursday ..Purpose of the tithe; blessings promised
Ques. 17-19
Friday ....Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What does Jesus say concerning the support of
the gospel worker? Matt. 10: 10.
2.
What plan did God give to His church anciently for
the maintenance of the priesthood? Num. 18: 20-24.
3.
What shows that the tithing system was recognized
by God's servants long before the Levitical law was given
to Israel? Gen. 14: 18-20; Heb. 7: 1-4.
4.
Of what did Abraham pay tithes, and to whom?
Note 1.
5.
To what order of priesthood does Christ, our High
Priest, belong? Heb. 7: 21.
6.
What does .our High Priest say about the obliga-
tion to pay tithes? Matt. 23: 23.
7.
What promise did Jacob make concerning the pay-
ment of tithes? How large an income did he say he must
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
35
have before he would pay the tithes? Gen. 28: 20-22.
Note 2.
8.
What shows that the support of God's ministers is
incorporated in the gospel system? 1 Cor. 9: 13, 14.
9.
To whom do all things in the world belong? Ps.
50: 9-12 ; Hag. 2 : 8.
10.
How did Melchizedek remind Abraham of this fun-
damental truth ? Gen. 14: 19. Note 3.
11.
How is man liable to regard the material goods that
are in his possession? Deut. 8: 10-14, 17.
12.
What should he remember? Verse 18.,
13.
What is man's true relation to all of God's bless-
ings? 1 Peter 4: 10.
14.
What is required of a steward? 1 Cor. 4: 2.
15.
How does God regard a steward who withholds the
tenth of his income? Mal. 3: 8, 9.
16.
Under what terms were the children of Israel per-
mitted to redeem the tithe? Lev. 27: 31.
17.
For what purpose was the tithe to be used? Num.
18: 21, 24.
18.
What calamity came to Israel when the people put
their own interests first, and made God's work secondary?
Hag. 1: 2-11.
19.
What rich blessings are promised to those who
are faithful in giving to God His own? Mal. 3: 10-12.
Notes
1.
This account of Abraham's paying tithe is noteworthy.
Before returning to the king of Sodom the spoil taken in
battle, which, by common usage, belonged to Abraham as
conqueror; before giving his confederates the share that was
due to them; before regarding any worldly obligation, he gave
to the Lord the tenth of all that had come into his hands.
He recognized the priest of God as the lawful custodian of
God's share of the spoil, and promptly, and without ques-
tion, handed over to him the goods.
Time need not be used in unprofitably discussing the ques-
tion of who Melchizedek was. The Bible says that he was
"king of Salem," and "priest of the most high God." We
may well let the matter rest there.
2.
It is interesting to note that Jacob did not demand a,
36
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
large income before he would pay tithes. If he received but
enough for food and clothing, of that he would
give
one tenth
to the Lord. "Shall we who enjoy the full light and privileges
of the gospel, be content to give less to God than was given
by those who lived in the former less favored dispensation?
Nay, as the blessings we enjoy are greater, are not our obli-
gations correspondingly increased?"—"Patriarchs and Proph-
ets," page 188.
"Whenever a special deliverance is wrought in our behalf,
or new and unexpected favors are granted us, we should
acknowledge God's goodness, not only by expressing our grati-
tude in words, but, like Jacob, by gifts and offerings to His
cause."—Id., pages 187, 188.
3. God does not need our money, but we greatly need His
blessing. We need that development of character which comes
only through the cultivation of a liberal spirit. Melchizedek
reminded Abraham of the fundamental truth which lies back
of the tithing system,—that God is the possessor of heaven
and earth. Paying tithes is our recognition of that truth.
Lesson 13—Christian Temperance
DECEMBER
29, 1917
DAILY STUDY OUTLINE
Sabbath ...Read "Testimonies for the Church," vol-
ume 0, pages 374,
375.
Sunday ....The Christian race; our physical health. Ques. 1-3
Monday ...Admonition given us
Ques. 4, 5
Read "Ministry of Healing,"
pages
128-131.
Tuesday
warning
Ques. 6-9
Wednesday.Physical exercise
Ques. 10-13
Thursday ..Physical restoration in the new earth
Ques. 14, 15
Friday ....Review the lesson.
Questions
1.
What must be the temperance platform of those
who wish to win the Christian race? 1 Cor. 9 : 24-27.
Note 1.
2.
What shows that God has regard to the physical
health of His creatures? 3 John 2.
3.
How may man cooperate with God to conserve
physical health? Ex. 15: 26. Note 2.
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
37
4.
How does Isaiah state the object of man's creation?
Isa. 43:7.
5.
What admonition is given us to glorify God? 1
Cor. 10 : 31.
•
6.
Under the Mosaic law, what was done with the per-
sistent drunkard and glutton? Deut. 21: 20, 21.
7.
What warning is given to God's people just before
the coming of Christ? Luke 21: 34, 35. Note 3.
8.
Of what was the primitive bill of fare composed?
Gen. 1: 29. Note 4.
9.
Under what conditions was a variation from the
original diet permitted? Gen. 7: 23; 9: 3. Note 5.
10.
What suggestion is worth heeding concerning the
time of eating? Eccl. 10: 17. Note 6.
11.
What arrangement did God make for man origi-
nally which would provide him ample out-of-doors exer-
cise? Gen. 1:28; 2 : 15.
12.
What is a good cure for sleeplessness? Eccl. 5: 12.
13.
What is suggested as to the result of neglecting
physical exercise? Eccl. 10: 18. Note 7.
14.
If we take heed to all God's words, what will be
the blessed result? Prov. 4: 20-22.
15.
What physical restoration is promised at the com-
ing of Christ? Phil. 3: 20, 21. Note 8.
Notes
1.
The true Christian will be temperate
in all things.
That does not mean a moderate use of that which is hurtful,
as some have interpreted it, but total abstinence from those
things which are injurious, and a moderate use of those
things which are good.
2.
"Right physical habits promote mental superiority.
Intellectual power, physical strength, and longevity depend
upon immutable laws. There is no happen-so, no chance,
about this matter. . . . God will not work in a miraculous
manner to preserve the health of persons who are, by their
careless inattention to the laws of health, taking
a
sure course
to make themselves sick."-"Christian Temperance," pages
28, 108.
3.
This warning is significant. "Overeating is the sin
38
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
of this age." ("Testimonies for the Church," volume 4,
page 454.)
Dr. B.
W. Richardson said: "It is a fact that the large
majority of people who are well to do, eat too much food of
all kinds. Some eat twice as much as is necessary, and not
a few eat four times as much as they really require."—
"Ministry of Health," page 94.
The Bible rule is, Eat "for strength, and not for drunk-
enness." Eccl. 10: 17. Also, "Eat so much as is sufficient
for thee." Prov. 25: 16.
4.
"Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet
chosen for us by our Creator. These foods, prepared in as
simple and natural a manner as possible, are the most health-
ful and nourishing."—"Ministry of Healing," page 296.
5.
When there is scarcity of food, as in the days of Noah,
it may be necessary to take the life of the lower animal to
save the life of man; but the dangers incurred in
a
flesh diet
are increasing rapidly.
"Flesh was never the best food; but its use is now doubly
objectionable, since disease in animals is so rapidly increas-
ing. Those who use flesh foods little know what they are
eating. Often if they could see the animals when living,
and know the quality of the meat they eat, they would turn
from it with loathing. People are continually eating flesh
that is filled with tuberculous and cancerous germs. Tuber-
culosis, cancer, and other fatal diseases are thus communi-
cated."—Id., page 313.
6.
The words "eat in due season" suggest that some re-
gard should be paid to the time of eating. "A second meal
should never be eaten until the stomach has had time to rest
from the labor of digesting the preceding meal." ("How to
Live," page 55.)
7.
When a muscle is not used, it soon becomes soft and
flabby, and then wastes away. Nature abhors idleness, and
will not support or nourish any organ of the body that is not
used. Many beautiful, well made structures, the workman-
ship of the hand divine, are literally decaying "by much
slothfulness." Proper exercise stimulates the nerve centers,
increases circulation, aids digestion, hastens elimination,
quickens respiration, purifies the blood, strengthens the
muscles, and imparts tone and vigor to the whole man.
"Perspire or expire is the law of life."
8.
"All come forth from their graves the same in stature
as when they entered the tomb. Adam, who stands among
the risen throng, is of lofty height and majestic form, in
stature but little below the Son of God. He presents a marked
contrast to the people of later generations; in this one respect
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON QUARTERLY
89
is shown the great degeneracy of the race. But all arise with
'the freshness and vigor of eternal youth. In the beginning,
man was created in the likeness of God, not only in char-
acter, but in form and feature. Sin defaced and almost
obliterated the divine image; but Christ came to restore that
which had been lost. He will change our vile bodies, and
fashion them like unto His glorious body. The mortal, cor-
ruptible form, devoid of comeliness, once polluted with sin,
becomes perfect, beautiful, and immortal. All blemishes and
deformities are left in the grave. Restored to the tree of
life in the long lost Eden, the redeemed will 'grow up' to the
full stature of the race in its primeval glory. The last
lingering traces of the curse of sin will be removed, and
Christ's faithful ones will appear 'in the beauty of the Lord
our God,' in mind and soul and body reflecting the perfect
image of their Lord. Oh, wonderful redemption! long talked
of, long hoped for, contemplated with eager anticipation, but
never fully understood."—"The Great Controversy," pages
644, 645.
"Read Me a Story"
Every mother knows this plea, and happy are those mothers
who recognize it As an opportunity. All too soon the days are
forever past when the children come to mother for their stories;
and what they choose for themselves in the Lys to come will
be largely influenced by what she chooses for them now.
Realizing that there is a demand for a Reading Course for
those for whom the Junior books are too difficult, the officers
of the Missionary Volunteer Department have this year started
a Primary Reading Course, with only one book.
"UNCLE BEN'S CLOVERF1ELD"
Fifty-four delightful nature stories are found in its pages,
and nearly every page has a picture. Here are a few titles:
Honey from My Cloverfield
The "Dust" on the Butterfly
Little Gracie Finds Something
A Bright Little Gentleman
The Little Girl Who Sings
Fairies and Fairyland
Tom's Surprise
A Wonderful World
Handfuls of Gold
A Wonderful Factory
Buckwheat Cakes
A Cobblestone Story
"Uncle Ben's Cloverfield" has 295 large pages, is attractively
printed, and sells for $1.00. The price to those who buy it in
this Reading Course is 75 cents, postpaid, when ordered from
the tract society.
In Four Volumes
T
HE entire set of "Testimonies for the Church" is
now obtainable in four volumes, printed on Amer-
ican Bible paper, bound in cloth and limp leather, in-
closed in a substantial box, and weighing but
five
and one half pounds.
PRICES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Limp Cloth
4-volume, American Bible paper edition $12.00 $8.00
Volumes
1
and 2 of this 4-volume edition,
which contain single volumes 1 to 4 of the
9-volume edition, are sold separately, per
volume
3.00 2.00
9-volume edition
Volumes 5 and 6, per volume
1.50 1.00
Volumes 7, 8, and 9, per volume
1.25
.75
Prices 10% higher in Canada and other countries where duties
are charged.
Address your Tract Society.
PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA
